DUBLIN — A one-run loss stuck with Newark baseball for 12 months, so on May 28, the Wildcats left nothing to chance.
Newark scored multiple runs in each of the first four innings, rolling to an 11-1 victory at No. 6 Dublin Coffman (20-9) to win a Division I district championship. The No. 7 Wildcats (20-7) are heading to the regional tournament for the first time since 2008, a year after falling 6-5 to Thomas Worthington in a district final.
“This feels amazing. Last year was so heartbreaking. It really did suck,” senior third baseman Brody Driskel said. “Coming in here, I trusted our guys with all my heart. I knew what this meant to us. For all of our seniors – we have nine seniors – this is awesome.”
Newark plays Olentangy Liberty (24-4) in a regional semifinal at 2 p.m. June 2 at Beavers Field. Liberty blanked Dublin Jerome 3-0 in its district final.
The Wildcats earned the program’s 20th victory for the first time since 2006. Coach Michael Wheeler was a senior shortstop and pitcher on that team, which reached a regional final.
“This is the best feeling in the world. I have no words,” senior shortstop Moses Crane said. “This is better than beating any team. I wouldn’t want to do it with any other group of guys.”
Junior Trenton Wilson delivered a two-run single in a four-run first inning, and sophomore Brody Randall followed with a two-run single in the second. Senior Landyn Ankrum drove in a run with a squeeze bunt in the third, and the Wildcats drove in three of their final four runs with sacrifice flies.
Senior Luke Miller recorded three of the Wildcats’ 12 hits. Miller, Driskel, Crane, who came a few feet from homering on a second-inning double, and senior Bodie Smith each scored twice.
“We played an unbelievable team baseball game,” Wheeler said. “It might be the best game I have ever been a part of as a player or a coach. It was just the continuous pressure against a really good baseball team. We did a great job of taking advantage of every opportunity we were given. The way we are running the bases puts the pressure on the defense when they start peaking up and making mistakes.”
Randall, a hard-throwing left-hander, ran into trouble in the second inning when he allowed Coffman’s only run, but he stranded the bases loaded when Ankrum made a running catch in foul territory in deep right field. With a growing cushion, Randall allowed just a third-inning single and a fourth-inning walk the rest of the way.
The Wildcats were not shy about their goals, falling a win short of an Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division championship but emphatically earning their 20th win and a district championship. A big senior class, including several who serve in backup roles, stuck together from the first pitch.
“That’s game-changing,” Driskel said. “We have guys who have stayed here with us, showed up to practice every day and busted their butt. It’s just amazing we have guys in the dugout who will cheer us on no matter what.”
Now, the Wildcats will meet Liberty and possibly 6-foot-4 right-hander Parker Van Engelenhoven, a Louisville signee.
“This is truly a special group of guys,” Crane said. “We are not done dancing yet. We are going on to a regional, and anything can happen in a regional.”
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Relentless Newark ends district baseball championship drought
Reporting by Kurt Snyder, Newark Advocate / Newark Advocate
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
